The invention relates to a structure of redundant arrays of inexpensive disks (R.A.I.D.) with servers. More specifically, the invention relates to a structure which has a server installed directly on a R.A.I.D.
An industrious specification for computer housing includes 1U, 2U, 3U and 4U. The limit to the interior space of the computer housing for arranging devices greatly influences the performance of the computer. Usually, a computer housing of 3U specification is used as a memory cell. A plurality of hard disks are arranged in the front half space of the 3U housing to form the R.A.I.D. A power supply and an electric fan are arranged in the remaining space of the 3U housing. Under such an arrangement, a control panel can be mounted only in the remaining space. Because of the limited space, a server, including a motherboard, CD-ROM drives, and floppy drives, has to be mounted in another computer housing of 1U or 2U specification and connected to other devices through buses. However, this arrangement has several problems, such as:
1. The control panel can be installed in a same housing with the hard disks. But the control panel is usually mounted face inward. Therefore, either the control panel has to be turned back until it faces outward or a user has to change his(her) position in a manner to face the control panel. It is thus not user-friendly.
2. The motherboard and the R.A.I.D. are mounted in different housings, which needs longer signal wires for connection and transmission. Longer signal wires may cause signal decay and complicate the wiring of the devices.
3. Since the motherboard is mounted in another housing, an additional power supply is needed for the motherboard and therefore the equipment cost is increased.
It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a structure in which a server is mounted directly on redundant arrays of inexpensive disks (R.A.I.D.) so that more devices can be received in a same housing.
It is another object of the invention to provide a control panel for controlling the R.A.I.D. that is formed in front of the server, while the distance between the internal connections is reduced and a power supply can be shared. Thereby, the prior problems can be solved.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives, a structure of R.A.I.D. with servers is provided. The structure of the invention includes a R.A.I.D., a server, and a housing. The connection between the R.A.I.D. and the server, and the connection between the server and the housing are achieved by connectors respectively formed on edges of the R.A.I.D., the server and the housing. Thereby, the device space and wiring limitations can be overcome.